By now I'm sure all of you know that at DAA we can never really get enough of fashion with a cause... And since World AIDS Day is almost here, I'd like to tell you about this inspiring initiative: the Red Ribbon Dress by British artist and activist Mandy Webb. She defines her project as "a sort of 'Coming Out' piece" that she created to help her announce and come terms with her own HIV+ status. The original dress, created in 2004/05, was actually more a work of art/sculpture than a fashion piece and was made with a chicken wire mesh skirt, a plaster torso cast and T-shirt with the message ‘Gay, Straight, Doesn’t Discriminate’. Since then, the dress had been exhibited and moved so many times that it was literally falling to pieces and in 2011 the project became a part of The London AIDS Memorial (http://londonaidsmemorial.wordexpress.com).

This year Mandy completed her second Red Ribbon Dress, made with nearly 6000 red ribbons that are to be completed with dedications on them.  The dress will be displayed at Waterstones bookshop in London for this year's World AIDS Day (December 1) to further help raise and spread HIV/AIDS awareness. Mandy Webb hopes it will engage and inspire people to participate in the project by leaving a dedication/name on a ribbon for/about someone they know or have lost to HIV/AIDS... or even for themselves. Besides becoming a part of the actual dress, the dedications/names will also be included in the book which will accompany it. Mandy also hopes to be able to tour the UK with the dress to give as many people the opportunity to see and write on it as possible. We're looking forward to knowing how it works out so please Mandy, let us know! Meanwhile we send you much love and support! x La Vero

For more on Mandy Webb and The Red Ribbon Dress visit:

http://girllikeme.org/2012/08/13/unashamedly-positive-re-creation-of-the-red-ribbon-dress/

http://www.outsidein.org.uk/Mandy-Webb